Lock Every Door: Riley Sager’s newest book is the must-read thriller for July
By Mads Lennon
Riley Sager returns to dominate the month of July with his best book yet. Lock Every Door is a sinister read that demands to be devoured.
When I picked up Riley Sager’s first book, Final Girls, a few years ago, I was captivated by the newest author to break into the thriller genre. Then I read The Last Time I Lied and realized Sager was quickly becoming a favorite. With the release of Lock Every Door, Sager has cemented his status as an iconic thriller author.
Easily his best book of the three he’s released thus far, Lock Every Door is Rosemary’s Baby for the modern audience. It embraces the same Gothic spirit and sense of dread. I literally could not put this book down if I tried. It demands your attention.
Sager’s now-signature crisp writing aids the telling of a tantalizing and genuinely chilling story. The faults I had with Sager’s previous novels, typically involving the pacing, were nowhere to be found.
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Lock Every Door follows Jules, a woman down on her luck with nothing but a few hundred dollars to her name. She’s hit rock bottom when the perfect opportunity falls into her lap. An ad in the paper seeks someone for a top-secret job at the Bartholomew, one of the most exclusive old apartment buildings in New York. It oozes aristocracy and opulence though it’s biggest draw comes from the ornate stone gargoyles adorning the building like odious watchdogs.
All Jules has to do is apartment sit until they find a new tenant for a recently emptied unit. For three months, if Jules adheres to the strict building rules and does as she’s told, she will walk away from the Bartholomew five thousand dollars richer.
And who wouldn’t want to stay at a place steeped in rich history and grandeur? Sure the rules seem suspiciously strict – no visitors, ever, and you must spend the night in the room every day, but for someone with nothing, the offer is much too good to pass up for mere trivialities.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – Dutton Publishing
But as is typical with everything that seems too good to be true, it doesn’t take Jules long to realize there is something rotten going on at the Bartholomew, something the tenants refuse to acknowledge.
Jules begins to realize that the ghastly rumors plaguing the building’s history may not be just the stuff of legend. However, by the time she realizes, will it be too late?
I admit, I was a little disappointed the ending twist didn’t go in the direction the book initially led me to believe but then I realized that the resolution is more fitting, and far more insidious due to its real-life comparison, than its red herring.
I can’t recommend this book enough for fans of the genre. It’s one of my top reads of 2019 thus far, and it proves that Riley Sager is an author at the top of his game. Sager has mastered the art of concocting a genuinely spellbinding, and deeply unsettling, thriller.
Special thanks to Dutton publishing for furnishing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Lock Every Door will be available to purchase on July 2nd. You can pre-order the book now through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Have you read Riley Sager’s previous novels? Are you looking forward to purchasing Lock Every Door when it is released? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!